MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

8/17 Injury roundup

Catcher Geovany Soto, on the disabled list with a sprained right shoulder, took batting practice on Tuesday and should be activated on Sunday. Soto, batting .288 with 15 homers and 45 RBIs, has not played since Aug. 6.

* Carlos Silva, who underwent a procedure Aug. 9 to correct an abnormal heart rate, was to throw Wednesday on the side at Wrigley Field. The right-hander, who is 10-5 with a 3.92 ERA, could be scheduled for a rehab outing if all goes well.

* First baseman Derrek Lee was expected back in the lineup Thursday after having an epidural injection in his lower back. Lee, who was batting .251 with 16 homers and 56 RBIs, came out of Sunday’s game because of his back.

* Reliever John Grabow was examined by team orthopedic specialist Stephen Gryzlo on Monday and they were deciding whether to have surgery on his left knee. He has been limited to 28 games because of a sprain.

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